Fingersmith cover art

Fingersmith

A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick – Booker Prize Shortlisted

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Fingersmith

By: Sarah Waters
Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
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About this listen

 A BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK (BOOKER PRIZE GEMS)

London 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her 'family'. But from the moment she draws breath, Sue's fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away.©2002 Sarah Waters Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic Reviews

Totally immersive with brilliantly drawn characters... a page-turning thriller while managing to be a tender love story
Intensely atmospheric, impeccably paced, and cunningly structured, this is that rarity in contemporary fiction: a deeply serious novel that is also a thumping great read (Douglas Kennedy)
There are always novels that you envy people for not having read yet, for the pleasure they still have to come. Well, this is one. Long, dark, twisted and satisfying, it's a fabulous piece of writing... An unforgettable experience (Julie Myerson)
One of the best twists of any book, one that lifts the novel from a brilliant piece of modern Victoriana to something altogether more original and daring... Fingersmith, like so many great books, calls into question our desire to fit novels into restrictive boxes... If you like a great story, brilliantly told, you'll love this book (Laura Shepherd-Robinson)
A chilling, ingenious erotic thriller - unputdownable
She distils a slice of London Victoriana, involving pickpockets, orphans and identity, into a fantastic plot and handles the story so well that you just can't wait to get to the end
High spirited and utterly compelling (Robert McCrum)
Serious entertainment... One of the most startling plot twists you'll ever read (Nick Hornby)
A thrillerish plot, fast-moving with umpteen cunning twists, it is inhabited by richly human characters whose fortunes instantly engage the reader
Fingersmith's tight and intricate plotting and full-flavour characters follow in a fine tradition of gothic storytelling, full of love, villains and intrigue (Jane Perry)
This disquietingly twisted tale will engross (Isobel Montgomery)
Deliciously brazen... A smart and seductive enchantment
Fingersmith is the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more melodramatic in tone than its predecessor Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs
Oliver Twist with a twist... Waters spins an absorbing tale that withholds as much as it discloses... A pulsating story
Superb storytelling. Fingersmith is gripping; so suspenseful and twisting is the plot that for the last 250 pages, I read at breakneck speed
A deftly plotted thriller... absorbing and elegant
A marvelous pleasure... Waters's noted attention to historical detail and her beautifully sensitive dialogue help to anchor the force-five plot twisters
Calls to mind the feverishly gloomy haunts of Charlotte and Emily Bronte... Elaborate and satisfying
A richly woven tale of duplicity and passion... nobody writing today surpasses the precocious Waters's virtuosic handling of narrative complexity and thickly textured period detail. This is a marvelous novel
A sweeping read
Astonishing narrative twists
All stars
Most relevant
not as fun as I expected, but I guess that's ye old England for you!

well written but a bit dreary

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This is the first book I’ve read in ages that surprised me at every turn. Such an enjoyable read and the narrator was perfect. Loved it!

Brilliant plot and narration

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I loved this story and the narration was superb.
wonderful story, great characters. I love both the author and the narrator.

wonderful story and narration, I loved this novel.

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I absolutely loved this book. Grew to really enjoy the drama sure performance of the reader. Can't recommend this enough.

An adventure

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outstanding story with many twists. I couldn't stop listening. in every chapter, more of the plot would unfold. captivating! Waters' gift of painting a picture so vividly kept me among the characters for the duration of the novel. stunningly read too, Juanita managed to portray every character (and there were many) with their own personality through only her reading.
cannot wait for the next riveting read.
thank you!

captivating and vivid

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